Football and other gameball



A. T. EDWARDS.

FOOTBALL AND OTHER GAMEBALL APPucmofi FILED IAN.14,I

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

.Patented Dec. 12, 1922,

ALFRED 'rrroivrns nnwannsor 'WAIIISALL, nitenann, nssrenoe TO J'ABEZcrime;

I COMPANY LIMITED, or VIALSALL, s'rarronn, nnetnnnfa COMPANY or GREATBRITAIN.

FOOTBALL n]; om-Inn GAMEB LL,

Application filed Januar 14. 1922. Seria1'No.529,29Q.

1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED THOMAS ED 'wAnns, a subject of the King ofGreat Brit;

ain, residing at Globe Works, Forster Street, 5 'l/Valsall, in thecounty of Stafford, England,

have invented certain new and useful liniprovements in Footballs andOther Gameballs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description-of the same.

My invention comprises improvements in footballs and other game ballsand refers to an improved method of construction of extremities butbeing left unconnected at the middle so as to provide the mouth, whilstin the second method of construction one of the sectional pieces has aslit extending for part of its length to provide the mouth. In thefirst-mentioned method of construction the effective-length of the mouthis limited only by the stitching of the two adjacent parts together, andit has been found in practice that this stitching gives way before theball is otherwise worn out.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these defects and toprovide a ball in which the stitching is reduced to a minimum, and inaccordance therewith the one sectional piece adjacent the mouth isprovided with a slit so as to form the mouth, and the extremities ofthis piece are also cut in alignment with the mouth slit but with outextending thereto. The mouth slit is thus terminated at each end bysolid leather which may extend for a distance say of one inch, whilstthe slits at the extremities may be of V or other shape, in which case apiece of leather is removed and the adjacent edges then sewn together soas to provide a section of the required shape.

Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a face view of theouter case of a football according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmental sectional view taken through the sectionalpiece which contains the mouth.

are juxtaposed and sewn together at their Figure 3 is a face view of theblank of the sectional piece which contains the mouth.

lnthe construction illustrated uponthe accompanying drawings the outercase of the ball is formed in the usualmanner from a plurality ofsectional pieces indicated by 1.

One of the pieces which forms the outercasemarked 2-i's providedwith-aslit 3 which is centrally disposed inthe sectional piece and isadapted to form the mouth through which the inner member or bladder (notshown) is inserted and through which the nipple 4: of the inner memberextends for the purpose of inflation. v

The'extrernities ofthe portion "2 are split at 5 and this split is of Vor other shape" when the piece is'in the flat condition so as to givethe proper shape to this sectional The split in the sectional piece 2 isreinforced by a piece 6., which extends within the mouth and is securedto the sectional piece 2 by stitching as indicated at 7 This piece whenit is sewn togetherwith the other reinforced piece is convenientlyformed of leather and isprovidedwith lace holes 8 which correspond withthe lace holes 9 in the sectional piece '2.

This sectional piece 2 which carriesthe' mouth i formed from a singleplece of! leather and it corresponds in shape with a pair of the othersections andthus maintains the balance of the ball.

It will be seen thatthe' length of the mouth cannot extend withouttearing the solid leather at its extremities, and thesec tional piecesof the ball are connected together by stitching in the usual manner.

"What I claim then is a l. A. game ball having an outer case whichconsists of a plurality of sectional pieces shaped so as to be curvedwhen in position,

one of the sectional pieces having a central slit to form the mouth, anda V-shaped slit at each extremity extending towards but not extending tothe central slit, to allow this sectional piece to take up its curvedform.

A game ball having an outer case which consists of a plurality ofsectional pieces shaped so as to be curved when in position, one of thesectional pieces having a central slit to form the mouth, a reinforcingpiece extending over the surface of the slit sectional piece and aroundthe slit therein, and a V-shaped slit at-each extremity extendingtowards but not extending to the central slit, to allow this sectionalpiece to take up its curved form.

3. A game ball having an outer case which consists of a plurality ofsectional pieces, one of the sectional pieces corresponding in shapewith a pair of the other sectional piecesand having a central slit toform the mouth and a slit at each extremity extendin'g towards, but-notas far as, the central slit.

- consists of a plurality of sectional pieces, one

of the sectional pieces corresponding in shape with a pair of the othersectional pieces and having a central slit to form the mouth, and allshaped slit at each extremity extending towards. butv not extending tothe central slit.

6. A gameleall having an outer case which consists of a plurality ofsectional pieces,

one of the sectional pieces corresponding in shape with a pair oftheother sectional pieces and having a central-slit to-form the mouth, areinforcing piece extending over the surface of the slit sectional pieceand around the slit therein, and a slit ate'ach extremity extendingtoward-s, but not as far as, the central slit.

7. A game ball having an outer case which consists of a plurality ofsectional pieces, one of the sectional pieces corresponding in shapewith a pairof the other sectional pieces and having a central slit toform the mouth, a reinforcing piece extending over thesurface of theslit sectionalvpiece and around the slit'a therein, and. a slit at eachextremity in alignment with the central slit but not extending thereto.

8. A game ball having anouter case which consists of aplurality ofsectionaLpieces, one of the sectional pieces corresponding, in shapewith a pair .of the other sectional pieces and having a central slit toform the mouth, a reinforcing piece. extending. over the surface of theslit sectional piece.v and around the slit therein, and a V shaped slitat each extremity extending towards butnot extending to the centralslit.

lnwitness whereof I affix mysignature.

ALFRED THOMAS IEDWARDS.

